How to sell signage to management and new clients

1. Understanding your audience

The first, and arguably most important, step when starting your signage pitch is to ensure that you understand your audience. By familiarising yourself with managements objectives and objections you will be able to better grasp how to sell your solution to them.

Instead of only focusing on the costs and benefits of your signage, a strategy should be in place to appeal to your audience’s interests and strive to clarify how your signage could solve problems they may be experiencing. This same principle is relevant when convincing clients of signage options they are not familiar with.

2. Personalise your pitch

Once you have familiarized yourself with your audience, it is important to use your newfound information to make your pitch personal. This approach will be unique to everyone, depending on which course of action they choose to follow.

Further to this, it is important to be aware of any relevant statistical data that can be used to solidify your point – for both management and clients. When you are familiar with the benefits of your suggestion it is guaranteed to build trust and confidence in your choice as you are appealing to them on an intellectual and emotional scale.

When selling your signage to management, or potential clients, it is also important to remember that they are most likely thinking about what it will cost them. This is why it is important to emphasise the experience the signage will share with its viewers, and why it is different or better than similar signage options.

3. Research

Before making your pitch, ensure that you are an expert in the signage solution you are wanting to sell. You should have more than enough knowledge to be able to answer any questions that are asked and should be versed to answer them in a way that is easy to understand, should there be any technical terms. It is also vital to remember that you are selling the benefits that the signage will bring, not necessarily its features.

4. Address possible fears

It’s no secret that the leading factor to individuals not leaning into new signage is fear of failure, risk and other daunting concepts. When pitching to your audience, whether it be management or a new client, be mindful to address these fears and mitigate them as far as possible.

5. Size up your competition

Avoidance has never been a strategy that has led to success, and the same applies in this scenario. Be prepared to pitch information regarding your closest competitors. Highlighting the successful tactics, or failures, that your competitors have followed allows you to avoid the same mistakes and utilise the ones that worked.

6. Have a clear plan for implementation

When preparing for the possible implementation of your signage, it may be important to ask yourself a few key questions, such as:

• What skills are needed to maintain this form of signage in the company?
• Are there existing employees that can work with this form of signage?
• How long will it take to implement this signage?
• How can we measure the ROI after implementing this signage?